Spring-hinge.



No. 642,69l. Patented Feb.' 6, |900.

c. w. HILLENBRAND.

SPRING. HINGE.

(Application filed Jan. 9, 1899.)

Chas. Whz'llezrand me Noam; Perens co. Pnorsu'ruo.. wAsmNoroN, n. c.

l. STATES ATENT Frio.

CHARLES IV. HILLENBRAND, OF KANSAS CITY, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR TO NATI-IANAEL C. BARNES, OF SAME PLACE.

SPRING-HINGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part ot' Letters Patent No. 642,691, dated February 6, 1900.

Application led January 9, 1899. Serial No. 701,688. (No model.)

To all wiz/0m, it may con/cern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. HILLEN- BRAND, of Kansas City, Vyandotte county, Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spring-Hinges, 0f which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to spring-hinges, and more particularly to reversible hinges-that is, hinges which may be employed with equal facility upon a door opening to the right or upon one opening to the left.

As well known, at least by persons in the business, it requires a nice exercise of judgment to properly hang a screen-door at the rst attempt. In fact it is rare, indeed, when a door is hung at the first attempt without binding at some point. As a consequence the hinge must be removed in order to adjust it slightly u pon the door in the required direction and then resecured in position. This operation consumes much valuable time. My invention is designed to obviate this loss of valuable time by providing a hinge which is universally adjustable, and consequently when once secured upon the door need not be removed if it is necessary that the door should be adj usted after the hinges have been secured to it.

A further object of the invention is to produce a hinge of this character which is simple, strong, durable, and inexpensive of manufacture.

In order that the invention may be fully understood, I will proceed to describe it with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a face View of my reversible hinge when applied to a door opening to the left. Fig. 2 represents a similar view of the hinge when'applied to a door opening to the right. Fig. 3 isa central transverse section of the hinge and part of the door and door-casing. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the spring member of the hinge. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section of the same. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective View of parts ot' the hinge detached from each other. Fig. 7 is a crosssection taken on the line VII VII of Fig. 2.

In the said drawings, 1 designates the casing member of the hinge. It is provided at its upper and lower ends with parallel and substantially horizontal slots 2, and adjacent to each slot is a series of teeth 3. Near its upper and lower ends it is provided with hingearms 4, which are connected by a vertical rib 5. Midway its height it is provided with a slot 6, extending parallel to the slots 2, and in alinement with said slot and at the side of the member opposite that occupied by the arms 4 it is provided with a hook 7.

, 8 designates the door member of the hinge, and said member is provided at its upper and lower ends with the vertically-extending slots 9 and with a similar slot at its middle, but to one side of those first mentioned. The member is provided at the side of the upper and lower slots with a series of teeth 10 and at its opposite side with hinge-arms 11, these hinge-arms being provided with pins or pintles 12, projecting both above and below the same. One ot' them is provided at its opposite ends with the offset lugs 13. At the same side and at equal distances above and below its center said member is provided with a pain of holes or apertures 14.

Referring to the spring member of the hinge, 15 designates a semicylindrical casing provided at one end with a slot or elongated opening 16 and at its opposite end with a slot or elongated opening 17, and at opposite sides of the latter it is provided with a pair of parallel ears 18 and with a longitudinallyprojecting loop 19. A pin journaled in and connecting' said ears is provided with a pair of cylindrical portions journaled in said ears, with a collar 2O at one end to limit its movement in one direction and a squared head 21 at the same end. At its opposite end it is engaged by a nut 22 to prevent movement in the opposite direction, and at its middle it is squared, as shown at 23. An arm or lever 24 is mounted non-rotatably upon said squared middle portion and is adapted to swing, for a purpose hereinafter described, longitudinally in the slot or opening 17.

25 designates a sliding plate which is bent back upon itself, as at 26, to form `grooves for sliding engagement with the laterally-pro` jecting ribs 27 ofthe casing. 28 designates a headed pin or plunger which ts snugly within said casing and at its headed end engages the arm or lever 24. Connected to its oppo- IOO site end is a hook-rod 29, which projects through the slot 1G. 30 designates an expansion-spring which spirally encircles said rod and pin or plunger and bears at its opposite ends against thehead of the latter and the opposite end of the casing.

To secure the hinge members in position, I preferably employ washers 31 and screws The washers for the upper and lower slots of the hinge members at one side are provided with teeth or corrugations 33, adapted for engagement with the teeth 3 or 10 of said members.

In practice to secure the hinge members firmly in position after they have been fitted against the said casing at the proper points the rectangular projections 34 of the washers are fitted in the openings or slots 2 and G, the upper and lower washers, with their teeth 33, engaging the opposing corrugated or roughened surfaces 3 of the hinge member. The various washers are then clamped firmlyin position by means of the screws 32,' which pass through the slots and enter the casing, as shown clearly in Fig. 3. i

If the door is to open to the left, the hinge member 1 is arranged with its hinge-arms 4 projecting to the right, as shown in Fig. 1. It' the door is to open to the left, said arms project to the left, as shown in Fig. 2. The member S is then secured to the door in the same manner, in this instance the teeth of the washer engaging the corrugations orteeth 10. The door is then positioned so that the arms 11 of said member will be vertically above the upper and lower arms 4, respectively, and with the lugs 13 in vertical alinement with the offset cavities 13b of the holes or passages 13 of the arms 4. The door is then lowered to cause the depending portions of the pins 12 to enter the holes or openings of the said arms 4, the lower lug 13 passing through the offset 13 above referred to. The door is then released and is supported by reason of the fact that the arms 11 rest upon and the pins 12 fit snugly and rotatably in the arms 4. It' it is found now that the door needs adjustment either vertically or laterally, one or more of the screws are loosened, so as to permit either or both of the hinge members to be adjusted slightly in the required direction. The screws are again screwed home. This operation obviously takes but a very few minutes to accomplish, and consequently obviates the loss of a great deal of valuable time which wonldbe consumed by removing either member from position and rescrewing it in a different position. Itis also obvious that this construction permits of a much finer adjustment, as the door may be adjusted a distance corresponding to the width of one or any number of teeth or corrugations 3 or 10. It will be noted in this connection that the only difference between Figs. 1 and 2 is that in Fig. 1 the arm 4, provided with the opening having an offset, and the arm l1, provided with the pin or pintle 12, having an offset, occupy the upper end of the hinge, while in Fig. 2 such parts is at the lower end of the hingethe arms 11 always resting upon the supportingarms 4. After the door is properlypositioned it is swung open and the hook-rod 29 engaged in the opening 14 opposite the middle of the section 1, there being two of these openings, because when the hinge is used as a left-hand or right-hand hinge one or the other of the said openings comes opposite the middle of the member 1, as will be readily understood.

Owing to the fact that the spring 30 is eX ceedingly stiff and strong, it will be difficult for a person by grasping the casing 15 to over come the resistance of said spring sufficiently to cause the loop to engage thelug 7. Because of this fact I provide the arm or lever 24 and the square-headed pin in order that a bar provided with a corresponding opening or a wrench (not shown) may be engaged therewith and used as a lever to press the plunger 28 forward and by compressing the spring or using it as a fnlcrum move the casing bodily to the rear until said loop is engaged with said lug.

The casing 15 is held parallel with the face of the door-casing by reason of the fact that itfinds a firm and substantial bearing upon the rib 5 at all times. By this arrangement it is obvious that when the door is opened it pulls the plunger 2S forward and compresses the spring so that the latter when the door is released may automatically close it in the customary manner.

From the'above description it will be apparent that I have produced a reversible hinge whereby a door may be easily and j quickly adj usted in any direction and which j is positive and reliable in operation and simple, strong, durable, and inexpensive of construction.

It is to be understood, of course, that slight changes in the detail construction or arrangel ment may be resorted towithout departing i from the spirit and scope or sacrificing any of the advantages of my invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A hinge, comprising a member provided iat its upper and lower'ends with horizontal slots, washers bearing against said member `and engaging said slots, and screws extending through said washers and slots into the door-casing and clamping the washers firmly against said member, in combination with a second member provided with vertical slots, washers fitting in said slots and bearing against said member, clamping-screws extending through said washers and said slots into the door, and means for pivotally connecting or hinging-said members together, substantially as described.

2. A hinge, comprising a member fitting `against the frame of a door, provided with the position of IOO IIO

horizontal slots and with teeth or corrugations at their margins, Washers projecting into said slots and provided With teeth or corrugations engaging those iirst named, screws eXtendin g through said Washers and slots and clamping the former against said member, supporting-arms projecting from said member, and provided With vertically-alined passages or openings, and a second member secured to adoor and provided with arms resting upon the supporting-arms, and with pins depending through the passages or openings of said supporting-arms, substantially as described.

3. In a hinge, the combination of a member secured to a door-casing, and a second member secured to a door and pivotally oonnected or hinged to the first member, with a casing hooked to the first member, an expansion-spring therein, a headed plunger therein and engaged by said spring, a hook connecting said plunger with the last-named member of the hinge, and a pin journaled in said casing, and provided with an arm bearing against the opposite side of said plunger, substantially as described.

4. In a hinge, the combination of a' member secured to a door-casing, and a second member secured to a door and pivotally connected or hinged to the rst member, With a casing hooked to the tiret-named member, an expansion-spring therein, a headed plunger therein and engaged by said spring, a hook connecting said plunger with the last-named member of the hinge, a pin journaled in said casing and provided with a squared head, and an arm rigidly mounted upon said pin and bearing against the head of said plunger in opposition to the pressure of said spring, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afx my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

CHARLES W'. HILLENBRAND. lVitnesses:

M. R. REMLEY, F. S. THRASHER. 

